Method and system for implementing a network analysis tool for endpoints deployments

ABSTRACT

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an automated computer implemented method and system for network analysis for endpoint deployment comprises determining whether a Quality of Service (“QoS”) analysis based on a QoS allocation data meets a first predetermined threshold for the location; if the QoS analysis does not meet the first predetermined threshold, calculating a minimum required bandwidth and increasing link capacity to at least the minimum required bandwidth or modifying an operation mode; determining whether a bandwidth analysis meets a second predetermined threshold for the location; if the bandwidth analysis does not meet the second predetermined threshold, calculating a minimum required bandwidth and increasing link capacity to at least the minimum required bandwidth; and providing analysis results to a user interface.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to provisional application, U.S. patentapplication No. 61/555,088, filed Nov. 3, 2011, the contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a system for and method ofanalyzing the impact of deploying various systems including video, voiceand/or data on network links and providing solutions for thosedeployments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Telepresence and videoconferencing technologies allow participants invarious locations to meet and have meaningful conversations. Rather thantraveling in order to have face-to-face meetings, it is now common touse telepresence and videoconferencing systems, which utilize multiplecodec video systems. Each participant of the meeting uses atelepresence/videoconferencing room to dial in and see/talk to everyother member on screens as if they were in the same room. Thistechnology brings time and cost benefits. As technology advances,communication features are enhanced and improved. However, such meetingsrequire more bandwidth and resources than traditional phone calls. Thereare instances where the WAN links at a company site may not have enoughresources to host multiple telepresence/videoconferencing meetings andthus the quality of the technology may be impaired.

Other drawbacks may also be present.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, one aspect of the invention is to address one or more ofthe drawbacks set forth above. According to an embodiment of the presentinvention, a method and system for network analysis for endpointdeployment comprises receiving, via a user interface, current devicecount configuration, current bandwidth utilization data; and planneddevice count configuration for a location; accessing Quality of Serviceallocation data; determining, via a computer processor, whether aQuality of Service analysis based on the Quality of Service allocationdata meets a first predetermined threshold for the location; if theQuality of Service analysis does not meet the first predeterminedthreshold, calculating a minimum required bandwidth and increasing linkcapacity to at least the minimum required bandwidth or modifying anoperation mode; determining, via a computer processor, whether abandwidth analysis meets a second predetermined threshold for thelocation; if the bandwidth analysis does not meet the secondpredetermined threshold, calculating a minimum required bandwidth andincreasing link capacity to at least the minimum required bandwidth; andproviding, via a user interface, analysis results comprising the minimumrequired capacity for each link for a plurality of links at thelocation, codec operation modes and a proximity of the projected totallink utilization to a designated link utilization threshold level forthe deployment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to facilitate a fuller understanding of the present inventions,reference is now made to the appended drawings. These drawings shouldnot be construed as limiting the present inventions, but are intended tobe exemplary only.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary flowchart of a method for analyzing endpointsdeployment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary detailed diagram of a system for analyzingendpoints deployment, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating an analysis tool forendpoints deployment, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating an analysis tool forendpoints deployment, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating an analysis tool forendpoints deployment, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating an analysis tool forendpoints deployment, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating an analysis tool forendpoints deployment, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating an analysis tool forendpoints deployment, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating an analysis tool forendpoints deployment, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating an analysis tool forendpoints deployment, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

An embodiment of the present invention may be directed to an automatedtool for analyzing wide area network (WAN) bandwidth and Quality ofService (QoS) requirements for deploying and installing endpointdevices. The endpoint devices may support various types of traffic andinformation, including video, voice, data and/or various combinationsand variations thereof. For example, endpoint devices may includetelepresence/video-conferencing equipments, video phones, videostreaming devices, voice over IP (VoIP) equipment, for example. Anembodiment of the present invention automates statistically advancedcalculations to streamline these deployments and ensures QoS compliancewith standards while protecting traffic across the network. Asrecognized by the present invention, it is of critical importance toanalyze the impact of deploying such devices on the WAN links beforesuch deployments.

According to an exemplary application, a user may enter informationabout the current endpoints, planned endpoints, current bandwidthutilization, QoS allocation standards and/or concurrency factors.Endpoint deployment may include deployment of video, voice, data and/orvarious combinations and variations thereof. Using this information, anembodiment of the present invention may perform a QoS analysis to ensurethat the links at the current site have enough QoS allocated. If it isdetermined that there is not enough, an embodiment of the presentinvention may then calculate a minimum required bandwidth for the QoSanalysis and request the user to increase the bandwidth at the site,modify the codec operation modes and/or perform other actions associatedwith QoS allocation. The QoS analysis may be repeated until it isdetermined that there is enough QoS allocated. If it is determined thatthe required QoS allocation for the planned video deployments fitswithin the QoS allocation on the WAN links, an embodiment of the presentinvention may then proceed to a Bandwidth requirement analysis. If theBandwidth requirement analysis stage is passed, the analysis is completeand the user may be presented with the codec operation modes for thevideo endpoints and the minimum required link capacity for the WAN linksat the site for a successful deployment of the video endpoints. Inaddition, the proximity of the bandwidth utilization (after addition ofthe planned video endpoints) to the designated bandwidth threshold leveland other information, as necessary, may be provided to the user. If theBandwidth requirement analysis stage fails, the minimum requiredbandwidth for passing this stage may be calculated. In addition, amessage may be displayed that provides information concerning how closethe bandwidth utilization will be after deployment to a certainthreshold. If it is close, e.g., less than 10%, a warning message may bedisplayed.

An embodiment of the present invention may be applied to video endpointsas well as other real time communication systems, such as telepresencesystems, three screen or single screen systems, desktop telepresence andother applications and tools. Other communication systems may supportvideo, voice, data and/or various combinations and variations thereof.Telepresence systems may refer to a high-end videoconferencing systemand service usually employed by enterprise-level corporate offices.Telepresence conference rooms may include video cameras, displays, soundsystems and processors, coupled with high to very high capacitybandwidth transmissions. For example, an administrator may want toensure that employees across several locations will have adequateprovisions to participate in a video meeting for an entire company.Typical uses may include one-to-one, one-to-many or many-to-many basisfor personal, business, educational use, including medical applicationssuch as diagnostic, rehabilitative and others. Educational applicationsmay include online sessions, for example. Various applications includingreal time or non-real time application may be implemented in accordancewith the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, anembodiment of the present invention may be applied to system and/ordevice upgrades for one or more sites as well as a defined subset withina site.

Information about a current site may be automatically downloaded fromone or more databases. The databases may store information concerningcapabilities for each of the various sites, e.g., number of users, typesof equipment, inventory, network/system/device performance data,building/floor/office configuration data, user status/profile data,upgrade information, device capability information, etc.

According to another example, an embodiment of the present invention maybe applied to audio, VoIP, wireless video, data, interactive data andother communication technology. While an embodiment of the presentinvention is described with respect to WAN links, other networks may beconsidered. Moreover, while the detailed description is directed to anexemplary application involving video deployment, the variousembodiments of the invention may be applied to other scenarios andapplications involving endpoint analysis and deployment. Otherapplications may be applied in varying scope.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary flowchart of a method for analyzing endpointsdeployment, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Whilethe exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 refers to video, othertypes of traffic may be considered including voice, data, interactivedata, video and/or various combinations and variations thereof. Thesystem and method of an embodiment of the present invention may beapplied to video systems on WAN links, Voice over IP (VoIP) deploymentsand other types of applications, whether real-time or non-real-time. Atstep 110, various inputs may be received, such as current endpoints 112,planned endpoints 114, current bandwidth utilization 116, QoS allocationstandards 118 and concurrency factors 120. At step 122, a QoS analysismay be executed. At step 124, it may be determined whether the QoSanalysis has been passed. If not, a minimum required bandwidth may becalculated at step 126. At step 128, an increase of WAN link capacityand/or modification of operation modes may be requested. Other actionmay be performed. At step 122, the QoS analysis may be executed with themodifications. If the QoS analysis is passed, a bandwidth analysis maybe executed, at step 130. At step 132, it may be determined whether thebandwidth analysis has been passed. If not, a minimum required bandwidthmay be calculated at step 134. At step 136, an increase of WAN linkcapacity and/or modification of operation modes may be requested. Otheraction may be performed. At step 130, the bandwidth analysis may beexecuted with the modifications. At step 138, the analysis ends. Theorder illustrated in FIG. 1 is merely exemplary. While the process ofFIG. 1 illustrates certain steps performed in a particular order, itshould be understood that the embodiments of the present invention maybe practiced by adding one or more steps to the processes, omittingsteps within the processes and/or altering the order in which one ormore steps are performed. These steps will be described in greaterdetail below.

An analysis tool for video endpoints deployments may be utilized as anautomated tool for analyzing the WAN bandwidth and QoS requirements forinstalling endpoint devices, including telepresence/video-conferencingequipments, video phones, video streaming devices, etc., at varioussites and locations. An embodiment of the present invention may automatestatistically advanced calculations to streamline these deployments andensure Quality of Service (QoS) compliance with standards whileprotecting profit-making traffic across the network. For example, auser, such as an engineer, may input existing site parameter values andan embodiment of the present invention may automatically analyze theimpact of an endpoint deployment on the network traffic, such as WANtraffic, and further provide solutions for the deployments.

As shown in FIG. 1, a user may input data for the analysis process, atstep 110. The data may be inputted by the user or it may also beprovided at an earlier time. For example, a user may input currentinformation 112, such as information regarding the current video devicesand other devices at the site, including, but not limited to number ofthose devices, their models, bandwidth usage and codec type. The usermay also input planned information 114, such as information regardingthe video devices and other devices planned to be added to the site,including, but not limited to number of those devices, their models,bandwidth usage and codec type. The user may provide current bandwidthinformation 116, such as information regarding the WAN links and theircurrent utilization at the site.

The user may also provide QoS data 118, such as information regardingthe QoS Standards/Templates governing the QoS allocations for the videotraffic at the site. For example, Quality of Service Allocation rulesused to define the QoS policy maps on the routers/switches, specifyingpercentages of the link capacity allocated to different classes oftraffic. QoS data may include the rules and policies that definedifferent classes of traffic, how they will be treated at each node(e.g., router, switch, etc.) and percentages of the total link capacityallocated to each traffic class (e.g., X % to EF class, Y % to callsignaling class, etc). QoS templates may be defined for each network bythe network management body.

Concurrency data 120 may be received, which may include concurrencyfactors for different types of video endpoints. Concurrency data may beinputted by the user or the data may be predefined. Concurrency data mayinclude concurrency factors which may represent the probability ofconcurrent operation (and consequently, usage of the WAN links at thesite) for different types of video devices at the site. For example, X %probability for N number of type Y of video devices at the site.Different types of methodologies for providing the required input datacan be utilized. For example, the Concurrency Factor could be a simplenumber (e.g., 0.2 representing 20%) or it could be provided by analgorithm or any other methodologies. The concurrency factor can also beautomatically calculated by a specific algorithm inside the tool basedon the type and number of devices and/or other resources at the site.Concurrency factors may be entered based on the data collected ondifferent types of video devices. An embodiment of the present inventionmay consider certain types of businesses that have a particularly highor low concurrency factor. For example, call centers may have muchhigher concurrency factors due to the high volume of calls. Some callcenters may also support video so that voice and video deployment may beassessed. Also, some businesses may have high activity during nightshifts, such as help centers. Other entities may have known busy seasons(e.g., time of year, certain month or months, end of year, end of fiscalyear, etc.). For example, an accounting firm may have a particular highvolume of activity during tax season.

Once the above-mentioned data is entered, the analysis tool of anembodiment of the present invention may run a QoS analysis, at step 122,to determine whether the required QoS allocation for the planned videodeployments fits within the QoS allocation on the WAN links at the sitedetermined by several contributing factors, including the QoSstandards/template, information entered on the current and planned videoendpoints at the site, information entered on the WAN links at the site,etc. If the answer is yes, the analysis tool then proceeds to thebandwidth requirement analysis stage, as shown by 130. If the answer isno, the analysis tool calculates the minimum required bandwidth forpassing the QoS analysis stage, at step 126. The user may be prompted toincrease the WAN link capacity by the recommended minimum requiredbandwidth and/or modify the codec operation modes on the planned videoendpoints, at step 128. The QoS analysis again may be executed, at step122, until it passes the QoS analysis stage.

An exemplary implementation may be based on allocating a single queueper application (e.g., video, voice or other applications). However,depending on different QoS templates, different implementations (e.g.,multiple queues per application) may be conducted for this stage. Thefollowing describes an exemplary QoS analysis stage of FIG. 1 for thisimplementation:

N_(c)=Number of Current Video Device Categories

N_(p)=Number of Planned Video Device Categories

CVEDBR=Current Video Endpoint Device Bandwidth Requirement (based oncodec operation mode and/or other factors)

CVEDCF=Current Video Endpoint Device Concurrency Factor

CNVED=Current Number of Video Endpoint Devices in a Specific Category

PVEDBR=Planned Video Endpoint Device Bandwidth Requirement (based oncodec operation mode and/or other factors)

PVEDCF=Planned Video Endpoint Device Concurrency Factor

PNVED=Planned Number of Video Endpoint Devices in a Specific Category

TVEDBR=Total Video Endpoint Devices Bandwidth Requirement

MLCS=Minimum WAN Link Capacity at the Site

VCQAP=Video-Class QoS Allocation Percentage of the Link Capacityaccording to QoS Template

MLCR=Minimum Link Capacity Requirement

${TVEDBR} = {{\sum\limits_{1}^{Nc}{{CVEDBR}_{i} \times {CVEDCF}_{i} \times {CNVED}_{i}}} + {\sum\limits_{1}^{Np}{{PVEDBR}_{j} \times {PVEDCF}_{j} \times {PNVED}_{j}}}}$If [TVEDBR≦(MLCS×VCQAP)]then (QoS Check Passed and MLCR=MLCS)else (MLCR=TVEDBR/VCQAP)

Nc represents a number of current device categories. This variable maybe entered by the tool administrator based on different categories ofvideo and other devices used by the firm. Other devices and applicationsmay be considered. Nc may specify the categories of the video devicescurrently installed at the site. The categories may be based on thefunctionalities or models of the devices. For example, a video endpointmay be a desktop video-conferencing system or a conference-roomvideo-conferencing system. Also, under each one of these categories,there may be different models with different types of requirements,e.g., bandwidth, codec, etc.

Np represents a number of planned device categories. This variable maybe entered by the tool administrator based on different categories ofvideo and other devices used by the firm. Other devices and applicationsmay be considered. Np may specify the categories of the video devicesplanned to be installed at the site. As with the current video devices,the categories for planned video devices may be based on thefunctionalities or models of the devices. For example, a video endpointmay be a desktop video-conferencing system or a conference-roomvideo-conferencing system. Also, under each one of these categories,there may be different models with different types of requirements,e.g., bandwidth, codec, etc.

CVEDBR represents the current video endpoint device bandwidthrequirement, which may be based on codec operation mode and/or otherfactors. This variable may be entered by the tool administrator,provided as an option to the user to enter or a combination of both userand the tool administrator. This input may represent bandwidthrequirement for each video endpoint device currently installed at thesite, including layer 2 to 4 overheads. Other devices and applicationsmay be considered.

CVEDCF represents the current video endpoint device concurrency factor.This variable may be entered by the tool administrator or provided as anoption to the user to enter for the video devices currently installed atthe site. Concurrency factors may be entered into the tool based on thedata collected on different types of video devices. It represents theprobability of having X number of type Y video systems to access aresource, e.g., the WAN, simultaneously. The concurrency factor may alsobe automatically calculated by a specific algorithm inside the toolbased on the type and number of video devices at the site. Other devicesand applications may be considered.

CNVED represents the current number of video endpoint devices in aspecific category. This variable may be entered by the user andspecifies how many devices in each video endpoint category are currentlyinstalled at the site. Other devices and applications may be considered.

PVEDBR represents planned video endpoint device bandwidth requirementwhich may be based on codec operation mode and/or other factors. Thisvariable may be entered by the tool administrator or provided as anoption to the user to enter or a combination of both user and the tooladministrator. PVEDBR may represent bandwidth requirement for each videoendpoint device planned to be installed at the site, including layer 2to 4 overheads. Other devices and applications may be considered.

PVEDCF represents planned video endpoint device concurrency factor. Thisvariable may be entered by the tool administrator or provided as anoption to the user to enter for the video devices planned to beinstalled at the site. Concurrency factors may be entered into the toolbased on the data collected on different types of video devices. Itrepresents the probability of having X number of type Y video systems toaccess a resource, e.g., the WAN, simultaneously. The concurrency factormay also be automatically calculated by a specific algorithm inside thetool based on the type and number of video devices at the site. Otherdevices and applications may be considered.

PNVED represents planned number of video endpoint devices in a specificcategory entered by the user. This variable may specify how many devicesin each video endpoint category are planned to be installed at the site.Other devices and applications may be considered.

TVEDBR represents total video endpoint devices bandwidth requirement.TVEDBR may be calculated by the tool. This variable represents the totalbandwidth requirement for all the video devices (both currentlyinstalled and planned for installation) at the site. Other devices andapplications may be considered.

MLCS represents minimum WAN link capacity at the site. MLCS may beentered by the user. If a site is connected via multiple WAN links tothe network, this value specifies the minimum capacity among thoselinks.

VCQAP represents video-class QoS allocation percentage of the linkcapacity according to QoS Template. This variable may be entered by thetool administrator. This variable specifies the percentage of the totallink capacity allocated to the Video-class traffic according to the QoStemplate. Other devices and applications may be considered. QoS templatecontains the rules and policies that define different classes oftraffic, how they will be treated at each node (router/switch) andpercentages of the total link capacity allocated to each traffic class(e.g., X % to EF class, Y % to call signaling class, etc). QoS templatesmay be defined for each network by the network management body.

MLCR represents minimum link capacity requirement. MLCR may becalculated by the tool and specifies the minimum WAN link capacity atthe site required to support the installation of the planned videodevices.

After passing the QoS Analysis stage, using the site's current bandwidthutilization data entered by the user and other input data, the analysistool may execute the bandwidth analysis, at step 130, to ensure thebandwidth utilization on the WAN rinks at the site, after addition ofthe planned video endpoints, stays below a certain threshold. If thebandwidth analysis stage is passed, the analysis is complete, at step138, and the user is provided with the codec operation modes for thevideo endpoints and the minimum required link capacity for the WAN linksat the site for a successful deployment of the video endpoints. Otherdevices and applications may be considered. In addition, the proximityof the bandwidth utilization (after addition of the planned videoendpoints) to the designated bandwidth threshold level and otherinformation, as necessary, may be provided to the user.

If the bandwidth analysis stage fails, the analysis tool may calculatethe minimum required bandwidth, at step 134, for passing this stage andthe user may be prompted to run the analysis again by increasing theminimum link capacity to at least the minimum required bandwidthcalculated by the tool, at step 136, until this stage is passed. Thisiterative process may also be implemented automatically without any userintervention.

An exemplary implementation may be based on a companion links aggregateload methodology for bandwidth analysis stage. However, any bandwidthanalysis methodology may be utilized for this stage. The followingdescribes an exemplary bandwidth analysis stage of FIG. 1 for thisimplementation:

WLIM=WAN Link Inbound Bandwidth Utilization Mean

WLISD=WAN Link Inbound Bandwidth Utilization Standard Deviation

WLOM=WAN Link Outbound Bandwidth Utilization Mean

WLOSD=WAN Link Outbound Bandwidth Utilization Standard Deviation

IAUPVL=Inbound Aggregate Utilization plus Planned Video Load

OAUPVL=Outbound Aggregate Utilization plus Planned Video Load

N_(L)=Number of WAN links at the siteIAUPVL=(Σ₁ ^(N) ^(L) WLIN_(i))+1.2816([Σ₁ ^(N) ^(L) WLISD_(j)²]^(1/2))+Σ₁ ^(Np)PVEDBR_(k)×PVEDCF_(k)×PNVED_(k)OAUPVL=(Σ₁ ^(N) ^(L) WLOM_(i))+1.2816([Σ₁ ^(N) ^(L) WLOSD_(j)²]^(1/2))+Σ₁ ^(Np)PVEDBR_(k)×PVEDCF_(k)×PNVED_(k)LUT=Link Utilization ThresholdLUM=Link Utilization Margin under the Threshold level

${if}\left\lbrack \left( {{{\left( {{IAUPVL} \times \frac{100}{MLCR}} \right) \leq \left( {{LUT} - {LUM}} \right)}\&}\left( {\left( {{OAUPVL} \times \frac{100}{MLCR}} \right) \leq \left( {{LUT} - {LUM}} \right)} \right)} \right\rbrack \right.$then (bandwidth check is passed and MLCR is the minimum WAN bandwidthrequirement at the site for adding the planned video devices)

${else}\mspace{14mu}\left( {{MLCR} = \left\lbrack {{{MAX}\left( {{IAUPVL},{OAUPVL}} \right)} \times \frac{100}{{LUT} - {LUM}}} \right\rbrack} \right)$

WLIM represents WAN link inbound bandwidth utilization mean. This may beentered by the user and represents the statistical Mean value of theinbound bandwidth utilization for each WAN link at the site (usuallyobtained via the network monitoring devices).

WLISD represents WAN link inbound bandwidth utilization standarddeviation. This may be entered by the user and represents thestatistical Standard Deviation value of the inbound bandwidthutilization for each WAN link at the site (usually obtained via thenetwork monitoring devices).

WLOM represents WAN link outbound bandwidth utilization mean. This maybe entered by the user and represents the statistical Mean value of theoutbound bandwidth utilization for each WAN link at the site (usuallyobtained via the network monitoring devices).

WLOSD represents WAN link outbound bandwidth utilization standarddeviation. This may be entered by the user and represents thestatistical Standard Deviation value of the outbound bandwidthutilization for each WAN link at the site (usually obtained via thenetwork monitoring devices).

IAUPVL represents inbound aggregate utilization plus planned video load.This may be calculated by the tool and represents the statistical 90thpercentile (or other predetermined percentage or amount) aggregateutilization of the inbound traffic running on all the WAN links at thesite plus the additional traffic load generated by the planned videodevices.

OAUPVL represents outbound aggregate utilization plus planned videoload. This may be calculated by the tool and represents the statistical90th percentile (or other predetermined percentage or amount) aggregateutilization of the outbound traffic running on all the WAN links at thesite plus the additional traffic load generated by the planned videodevices. Other devices and applications may be considered.

N_(L) represents number of WAN links at the site. This may be entered bythe user and represents the total number of WAN links at the site.

LUT represents link utilization threshold. This may be entered by thetool administrator or it may be an option to be entered by the user. LUTmay represent the threshold value for each WAN link, specifying themaximum load that can be carried by a link as a percentage of the totallink capacity (e.g., 80% of the total link capacity). This value may beset as a function of the link properties, e.g., link type or itscapacity, etc.

LUM represents link utilization margin under the threshold level. Thismay be entered by the tool administrator or it may be an option to beentered by the user. This value specifies the margin value below theLink Utilization Threshold level, kept as a safety zone to avoid thetotal utilization to hit the Link Utilization Threshold level (e.g., 10%margin on an 80% Link Utilization Threshold).

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram of a system for analyzing endpointsdeployment, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Anembodiment of the present invention may be directed to an automated toolfor analyzing the impact of deploying various systems on network links,e.g., WAN links, and providing solutions for those deployments. A system200 of an embodiment of the present invention may include an AnalysisTool 220. The Analysis Tool 220 may be available via a web interface orother user interface. As illustrated in FIG. 2, Analysis Tool 220 may beaccessed by users, including engineers, system managers and other usersvia a user communication device associated with a user accessing acentralized system of an embodiment of the present invention. The usermay establish a communication session with a communication device via acommunication network 210.

Analysis Tool 220 may be stand alone or hosted by an entity, such as afinancial institution, service provider, bank, etc. For example,Analysis Tool 220 may be affiliated or associated with a host entityand/or other entity. In an exemplary embodiment involving a Host Entity214 may host or support Analysis Tool 220. In this example, theapplication of endpoint deployment of an embodiment of the presentinvention may appear to be performed by a host entity, as a singleconsolidated unit, as shown by 216.

According to another example, Analysis Tool 220 may be separate anddistinct from Host Entity 214. For example, Host Entity 214, or otherentity, may communicate to Analysis Tool 220 via a network or othercommunication mechanism, as shown by Communication Network 212.

Analysis Tool 220 may access databases and/or other sources ofinformation to perform analysis and process data. Analysis Tool 220 mayaccess and/or maintain Map Database 240, Inventory Database 242, UserProfile Database 244, Network Database 246 and Other Database 248. Forexample, Map Database 240 may include information relating to layout,floor plans and may further include location of employees, contractors,equipment, resources, network elements, etc. Information on each floor,team or subset may also be available. Inventory Database 242 maymaintain information on equipment, devices, resources, usage, location,historical data and other device specific information. User ProfileDatabase 244 may include information for users, preferences, privileges,etc. Network Database 246 may include information regarding specifics ofthe network, load, performance, demand, etc. This information may bespecific for location, floor, team, etc. While a single database isillustrated in the exemplary figure, the system may include multipledatabases at the same location or separated through multiple locations.The databases may be further combined and/or separated. In addition, thedatabases may be supported by Host Entity 214 or an independent serviceprovider. For example, an independent service provider may support theone or more databases and/or other functionality at a remote location.Other architectures may be realized. The components of the exemplarysystem diagrams may be duplicated, combined, separated and/or otherwisemodified, as desired by various applications of the embodiments of thepresent invention as well as different environments and platforms.

Analysis Tool 220 may include various modules and interfaces foranalyzing the impact of deploying various systems, according to anembodiment of the present invention. Analysis Tool 220 may include QoSModule 222, Bandwidth Module 224, User Interface 226, Monitor Module228, Predict/Forecast Module 230, Scheduling Module 232 and/or othermodules, interfaces and/or processors, as represented by Other Module234. While a single illustrative block, module or component is shown,these illustrative blocks, modules or components may be multiplied forvarious applications or different application environments. In addition,the modules or components may be further combined into a consolidatedunit. The modules and/or components may be further duplicated, combinedand/or separated across multiple systems at local and/or remotelocations. Other architectures may be realized.

QoS Module 222 may perform the QoS analysis, according to an embodimentof the present invention. The analysis tool of an embodiment of thepresent invention may run a QoS analysis to determine whether therequired QoS allocation for the planned deployments fits within the QoSallocation on the WAN links at the site determined by severalcontributing factors, including the QoS standards/template, informationentered on the current and planned endpoints at the site, informationentered on the WAN links at the site, etc. The deployments may involvedevices that support various forms of traffic and information, includingvideo, voice, data and/or various combinations and variations thereof.Also, the links may refer to WAN links as well as other types of linksand other forms of communication paths. If the answer is yes, theanalysis tool then proceeds to the bandwidth requirement analysis stage.If the answer is no, the analysis tool then calculates the minimumrequired bandwidth for passing the QoS analysis stage. The user may beprompted to increase the WAN link capacity by the recommended minimumrequired bandwidth and/or modify the codec operation modes on theplanned video endpoints. The QoS analysis again may be executed until itpasses the QoS analysis stage.

Bandwidth Module 224 may perform the bandwidth analysis, according to anembodiment of the present invention. After passing the QoS Analysisstage, using the site's current bandwidth utilization data entered bythe user and other input data, the analysis tool runs the bandwidthanalysis to ensure the bandwidth utilization on the WAN links at thesite, after addition of the planned endpoints, stays below a certainthreshold. As discussed above, the deployments may involve devices thatsupport various forms of traffic and information, including video,voice, data and/or various combinations and variations thereof. Also,the links may refer to WAN links as well as other types of links andother forms of communication paths. If the bandwidth analysis stage ispassed, the analysis is complete and the user is provided with the codecoperation modes for the endpoints and the minimum required link capacityfor the WAN links at the site for a successful deployment of theendpoints. In addition, the proximity of the bandwidth utilization(after addition of the planned endpoints) to the designated bandwidththreshold level and other information, as necessary, may be provided tothe user. If the bandwidth analysis stage fails, the analysis tool thencalculates the minimum required bandwidth for passing this stage and theuser may be prompted to run the analysis again by increasing the minimumlink capacity to at least the minimum required bandwidth calculated bythe tool until this stage is passed. This iterative process may also beimplemented automatically without any user intervention.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, Analysis Tool220 may host a website or other electronic interface where users mayaccess data as well as provide data. For example, a user may submit andaccess information through Interface 226 to view data, submit requests,provide data and/or perform other actions. Analysis Tool 220 maycommunicate with various entities via communication network 210. Forexample, Analysis Tool 220 may receive inputs from users, shown by 202and 204. For example, a user may schedule a company wide meeting to bestreamed to the entire company. The user may desire to provision such anevent before the event to see how many streams can be tolerated with thecurrent infrastructure.

Monitor Module 228 may provide the ability to submit a real time queryagainst a database, such as Map Database 240 and determine configurationinformation for a building, a segment of a building, a team, a group ofbuildings, a floor, user defined area, etc. The configurationinformation may include the type of phones, video conference equipment,computers for the designated area, etc. Additional sources of data, suchas user management databases, inventory database, etc., may provideadditional details for specific devices, users, etc. A networkperformance management database may provide utilization information forthe area, users, etc. For example, a user may access real estate data,user data and inventory data from one or more databases. By accessingsuch information, a user may determine bandwidth data for various loadcapacities.

An embodiment of the present invention may assign priorities to certaintypes of traffic, data, conversation, video, etc. The priorities may beconsidered when performing QoS and/or bandwidth analysis. For example,some traffic may be considered operation mission critical. To afinancial institution, the bandwidth required to process credit cardtransactions may have to be protected. Also, bandwidth to supporttelephone calls may be deemed essential. Video traffic may be considereddiscretionary. Also, if a company plans a video meeting, it would needto confirm that bandwidth is available prior to the meeting. Inaddition, a QoS analysis may be applied to video bandwidth and the videotraffic. Thus, an embodiment of the present invention performs amultistep analysis that checks QoS and total bandwidth for a deployment.

Predict/Forecast Module 230 may provide feedback to the user regardinghow the network is handling the current load. For example, a graphicaluser interface, such as a thermometer, dashboard, icon, etc., may bedisplayed and provide codes, including color codes indicating differentstatus and requesting action in response. In addition, a forecastingcomponent may also be available where moving averages or otherprediction algorithm may be applied. Also, a warning or other alarm mayindicate an impending critical situation that may require some type ofaction or acknowledgement. Also, Predict/Forecast Module 230 may includea reporting functionality where users may generate graphics, reports andview trends and historical data. A snapshot capability may capturespecifics for each deployment, which may be transmitted to other usersfor verification and confirmation.

Scheduling Module 232 provides integration with a calendar or schedulingtool. For example, a user may set up a meeting and also have the optionto select the type of meeting (e.g., conference call, video equipment,etc.) and further indicate capabilities and/or equipment needed for themeeting. A user may schedule a video conferencing meeting involvingparticipants in different cities and countries through a schedulingtool. The scheduling tool may further indicate available bandwidth andhow much more bandwidth may be needed for the proposed meeting. Forexample, a coordinator may schedule an office wide video conferencingmeeting with participants in New York, California, London and Japan. Thescheduling tool may consider the equipment at each location anddetermine whether there is sufficient equipment and bandwidth to supportthe office wide video conference. The location may be onsite or even offsite. Additional specifics may be provided, such as whether theresources are limited and/or other constraints.

An embodiment of the present invention may consider privileges assignedto users, employees, members or participants. For example, differentmembers may be given priority over others. The president of a companymay be given priority over entry level employees. A company may assignemployees different level of services, such as premium services, goldservices and silver services, etc. For a class of video, an embodimentof the present invention may calculate how much allocation is availablefor each class and based on that which services are available fordeployment. When the CEO makes a call to participants in a videoconference, the highest quality may be provided. For an administrativestatus call, a standard quality may be provided. Different levels may beassigned based on subject matter. For example, meetings with clients andother external entities may be assigned a higher quality Whereasinternal status meetings may be assigned a lower standard quality. Thus,privileges may be considered when performing QoS and/or bandwidthanalysis.

An embodiment of the present invention may also consider limits oncertain types of traffic. Within the context of voice traffic, anembodiment of the present invention may consider call admission control(CAC) values. Call admission control may prevent oversubscription VoIPnetworks where CAC may be based on whether the required networkresources are available to provide suitable QoS for the new call. QoSmay protect voice traffic from the negative effects of other voicetraffic and to keep excess voice traffic off the network. Thus, CAC mayregulate traffic volume in voice communications, particularly inwireless mobile networks and in VoIP. An exemplary CAC algorithm mayregulate the total utilized bandwidth, the total number of calls, or thetotal number of packets or data bits passing a specific point per unittime. If a defined limit is reached or exceeded, a new call may beprohibited from entering the network until at least one current callterminates. CAC may also be considered for video sessions.

An embodiment of the present invention may consider certain qualities oftraffic that may require additional processing and/or resources. Forexample, additional bandwidth may be needed to determine whether data isencrypted or not and to further decrypt and/or encrypt the data. Numberof participants and their associated preferences as well as locationspecific data may also be considered. Other forms of data may alsoinclude interactive data, as well as data associated with social mediasites, real time chat, etc.

Various applications of an embodiment of the present invention mayinclude disaster recovery. For example, a building in New York City mayexperience a partial shutdown. As a result, the affected employees mayneed to move to a nearby office or a new location altogether. Also,certain affected employees may temporarily relocate to a part of thebuilding that is still in operation. The analysis tool may be used toanalyze the impact of having to relocate the affected employees and finda suitable location.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating an analysis tool,according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 representsan exemplary screenshot for receiving information on current devicesfrom a user. As shown in 310, current device count may be inputted bythe user for a particular location. These may refer to devices that arealready installed and in current use. The categories may be based on thefunctionalities or models of the devices. For example, a video endpointmight be a desktop video-conferencing system or a conference-roomvideo-conferencing system. Also, under each one of these categories,there might be different models (provided by one or multiple vendors)with different types of requirements, e.g. bandwidth, codec, etc. Inthis example, an input 312 for telepresence rooms single screen and aninput 314 for telepresence room 3 screen may be displayed. Othervariations and types of telepresence rooms may be displayed. As shown in320, data regarding conference room videoconferencing equipment may bereceived, e.g., number of units at 322 and codec at 324.Videoconferencing equipment may include servers, conferencing bridges,media processing systems, multipoint switches, recorders, cloudservices, etc. As shown in 330, data regarding desktop videoconferencingequipment may be received, e.g., number of units at 332 and codec at334. Desktop videoconferencing equipment may include desktoptelepresence, mobile solutions for mobile phones and tablets, or anyother desktop videoconferencing systems. Also, data regarding videoenabled VOIP phones and active video streams may be received at 340 and342, respectively. Total bandwidth for other video systems at the sitemay be received at 344. In addition, current VoIP information may beentered. In this exemplary illustration, current devices with callrecording may be entered at 346. Total current audio only VoIP phonesmay be entered at 348. Voice Codec may be entered at 350. Current VoIPphones with call recording may be entered at 352. Additional inputs maybe displayed to address other types of traffic and data.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating an analysis tool,according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 representsan exemplary screenshot for receiving information on planned devicesfrom a user. As shown in 410, planned device count may be inputted bythe user for a particular location. These may refer to devices that willbe installed in the future. The categories may be based on thefunctionalities or models of the devices. For example, a video endpointmight be a desktop video-conferencing system or a conference-roomvideo-conferencing system. Also, under each one of these categories,there might be different models (provided by one or multiple vendors)with different types of requirements, e.g. bandwidth, codec, etc. Inthis example, an input 412 for telepresence rooms single screen and aninput 414 for telepresence rooms 3 screen may be displayed. Othervariations and types of telepresence rooms may be displayed. As shown in420, data regarding conference room videoconferencing equipment may bereceived, e.g., number of units at 422 and codec at 424. As shown in430, data regarding desktop videoconferencing equipment may be received,e.g., number of units at 432 and codec at 434. Also, data regardingvideo enabled VOIP phones and active video streams may be received at440 and 442, respectively. A summary of current devices alreadyinstalled may be displayed at 450. The summary may also include VoIPinformation. The current devices information may be entered in FIG. 3and summarized in FIG. 4. In addition, planned VoIP information may beentered. In this exemplary illustration, planned devices with callrecording may be entered at 452. Total planned audio only VoIP phonesmay be entered at 454. Voice Codec may be entered at 456. New VoIPphones with call recording may be entered at 458. Additional inputs maybe displayed to address other types of traffic and data.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating an analysis tool,according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 representsan exemplary screenshot for sharing configuration information withothers for evaluation and informational purposes, as shown by 510. Forexample, contact information, including email address, phone number,mobile number and/or other information may be provided. In this example,email addresses may be provided at 512, 514 and 516. By selecting 518,configuration information may be shared. By selecting 520, the user mayprogress to a screen that receives bandwidth and other utilization data.A summary of current devices may be shown at 450, this information mayinclude data received in FIG. 3. A summary of planned devices may beshown at 530, this information may include data received in FIG. 4.Summary of current and planned VoIP devices may also be displayed.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating an analysis tool,according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 representsan exemplary screenshot for checking video queue. Current minimum WANbandwidth (e.g., link capacity) may be provided at 610. By selecting612, the video queue may be checked. A summary of current devices may beshown at 450, this information may include data received in FIG. 3. Asummary of planned devices may be shown at 530, this information mayinclude data received in FIG. 4. Summary of VoIP and other devices mayalso be displayed. As shown at 620, QoS information may be provided.Here, QoS 2.0 standards are used for calculations.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating an analysis tool,according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 representsan exemplary screenshot for checking video queue when the prior entryindicates that bandwidth is insufficient. As shown at 710, a minimum WANbandwidth is provided to the user so that the user may enter bandwidthhigher than the minimum. At 712, a new bandwidth may be entered. Byselecting 714, the video queue may be checked. This process may also beimplemented automatically without any user intervention. A summary ofcurrent devices may be shown at 450, this information may include datareceived in FIG. 3. A summary of planned devices may be shown at 530,this information may include data received in FIG. 4. Summary of VoIPand other devices may also be displayed.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating an analysis tool,according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 representsan exemplary screenshot for checking overall bandwidth utilization. Atable displaying links may be shown at 810. A user may input data forall existing circuits at the site. In this example, four links are shownby Link 1, Link 2, Link 3 and Link 4. At 812, current link bandwidth maybe received for each link. At 814, inbound mean percentage of linkutilization may be received for each link. At 816, inbound standarddeviation percentage of link utilization may be received for each link.At 818, outbound mean percentage of link utilization may be received foreach link. At 820, outbound standard deviation percentage of linkutilization may be received for each link. By selecting 822, overallbandwidth utilization may be checked. A summary of current devices maybe shown at 450, this information may include data received in FIG. 3. Asummary of planned devices may be shown at 530, this information mayinclude data received in FIG. 4. Summary of VoIP and other devices mayalso be displayed.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating an analysis tool,according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 representsan exemplary screenshot when total inbound network load exceeds capacitythresholds. A minimum bandwidth is provided to the user, at 910.Additional details concerning why the link did not satisfy the minimumbandwidth may be provided, such as Voice Queue: FAIL; Video Queue: FAIL;Total WAN In: FAIL; Total WAN Out; FAIL with minimum requirementbandwidth for each, as shown by 902. At 912, the user is prompted toenter a new proposed bandwidth. By selecting 914, the analysis may bere-executed with the new proposed bandwidth.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating an analysis tool,according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 representsan exemplary screenshot indicating that the configuration passed bothvideo queue and WAN capacity thresholds for the proposed WAN bandwidth.A warning message may be displayed to indicate a percentage (or othermeasure of variance) below the threshold, at 1010. Additional detailsmay be provided at 1012. A user may share configuration information withothers for evaluation and informational purposes, as shown by 1020. Forexample, contact information, including email address, phone number,mobile number and/or other information may be provided. In this example,email addresses may be provided at 1022, 1024 and 1026. By selecting1028, configuration information may be shared. A summary of currentdevices may be shown at 450, this information may include data receivedin FIG. 3. A summary of planned devices may be shown at 530, thisinformation may include data received in FIG. 4. Also, a summary ofexisting links is shown at 1030, this information may include datareceived in FIG. 8. Summary of VoIP and other devices may also bedisplayed.

While the exemplary embodiments illustrated herein may show the variousembodiments of the invention (or portions thereof) collocated, it is tobe appreciated that the various components of the various embodimentsmay be located at distant portions of a distributed network, such as alocal area network, a wide area network, a telecommunications network,an intranet and/or the Internet, or within a dedicated object handlingsystem. Thus, it should be appreciated that the components of thevarious embodiments may be combined into one or more devices orcollocated on a particular node of a distributed network, such as atelecommunications network, for example. As will be appreciated from thefollowing description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, thecomponents of the various embodiments may be arranged at any locationwithin a distributed network without affecting the operation of therespective system.

Data and information maintained by Analysis Tool 220, as shown by FIG. 2may be stored and cataloged in Databases 240, 242, 246 and 248, whichmay comprise or interface with a searchable database. Databases 240,242, 246 and 248 may comprise, include or interface to a relationaldatabase. Other databases, such as a query format database, a StandardQuery Language (SQL) format database, a storage area network (SAN), oranother similar data storage device, query format, platform or resourcemay be used. Databases 240, 242, 246 and 248 may comprise a singledatabase or a collection of databases, dedicated or otherwise. In oneembodiment, Databases 240, 242, 246 and 248 may store or cooperate withother databases to store the various data and information describedherein. In some embodiments, Databases 240, 242, 246 and 248 maycomprise a file management system, program or application for storingand maintaining data and information used or generated by the variousfeatures and functions of the systems and methods described herein. Insome embodiments, Databases 240, 242, 246 and 248 may store, maintainand permit access to customer information, transaction information,account information, and general information used to processtransactions as described herein. In some embodiments, Databases 240,242, 246 and 248 is connected directly to Analysis Tool 220, which, insome embodiments, it is accessible through a network, such ascommunication network, e.g., 210, 212 illustrated in FIG. 2, forexample.

Communications network, e.g., 210, 212 in FIG. 2, may be comprised of,or may interface to any one or more of, the Internet, an intranet, aPersonal Area Network (PAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide AreaNetwork (WAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a storage area network(SAN), a frame relay connection, an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN)connection, a synchronous optical network (SONET) connection, a digitalT1, T3, E1 or E3 line, a Digital Data Service (DDS) connection, aDigital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection, an Ethernet connection, anIntegrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) line, a dial-up port such asa V.90, a V.34 or a V.34bis analog modem connection, a cable modem, anAsynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) connection, a Fiber Distributed DataInterface (FDDI) connection, a Copper Distributed Data Interface (CDDI)connection, or an optical/DWDM network.

Communications network, e.g., 210, 212, may also comprise, include orinterface to any one or more of a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)link, a Wi-Fi link, a microwave link, a General Packet Radio Service(GPRS) link, a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) link, a CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA) link or a Time Division Multiple Access(TDMA) link such as a cellular phone channel, a Global PositioningSystem (GPS) link, a cellular digital packet data (CDPD) link, aResearch in Motion, Limited (RIM) duplex paging type device, a Bluetoothradio link, or an IEEE 802.11-based radio frequency link. Communicationsnetwork 210 and 212 may further comprise, include or interface to anyone or more of an RS-232 serial connection, an IEEE-1394 (Firewire)connection, a Fibre Channel connection, an infrared (IrDA) port, a SmallComputer Systems Interface (SCSI) connection, a Universal Serial Bus(USB) connection or another wired or wireless, digital or analoginterface or connection.

In some embodiments, communication network, e.g., 210, 212, may comprisea satellite communications network, such as a direct broadcastcommunication system (DBS) having the requisite number of dishes,satellites and transmitter/receiver boxes, for example. Communicationsnetwork, e.g., 210, 212, may also comprise a telephone communicationsnetwork, such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Inanother embodiment, communication network 120 may comprise a PersonalBranch Exchange (PBX), which may further connect to the PSTN.

In some embodiments, Analysis Tool 220 may include any terminal (e.g., atypical home or personal computer system, telephone, personal digitalassistant (PDA) or other like device) whereby a user may interact with anetwork, such as communications network, e.g., 112. 114, for example,that is responsible for transmitting and delivering data and informationused by the various systems and methods described herein. Analysis Tool220 may include, for instance, a personal or laptop computer, atelephone, or PDA. Analysis Tool 220 may include a microprocessor, amicrocontroller or other general or special purpose device operatingunder programmed control. Analysis Tool 220 may further include anelectronic memory such as a random access memory (RAM) or electronicallyprogrammable read only memory (EPROM), a storage such as a hard drive, aCDROM or a rewritable CDROM or another magnetic, optical or other media,and other associated components connected over an electronic bus, aswill be appreciated by persons skilled in the art. Analysis Tool 220 maybe equipped with an integral or connectable cathode ray tube (CRT), aliquid crystal display (LCD), electroluminescent display, a lightemitting diode (LED) or another display screen, panel or device forviewing and manipulating files, data and other resources, for instanceusing a graphical user interface (GUI) or a command line interface(CLI). Analysis Tool 220 may also include a network-enabled appliance, abrowser-equipped or other network-enabled cellular telephone, or anotherTCP/IP client or other device.

As described above, FIG. 2 shows embodiments of a system of theinvention. The system of the invention or portions of the system of theinvention may be in the form of a “processing machine,” such as ageneral purpose computer, for example. As used herein, the term“processing machine” is to be understood to include at least oneprocessor that uses at least one memory. The at least one memory storesa set of instructions. The instructions may be either permanently ortemporarily stored in the memory or memories of the processing machine.The processor executes the instructions that are stored in the memory ormemories in order to process data. The set of instructions may includevarious instructions that perform a particular task or tasks, such asthose tasks described above in the flowcharts. Such a set ofinstructions for performing a particular task may be characterized as aprogram, software program, or simply software.

It is appreciated that in order to practice the method of the inventionas described above, it is not necessary that the processors and/or thememories of the processing machine be physically located in the samegeographical place. That is, each of the processors and the memoriesused in the invention may be located in geographically distinctlocations and connected so as to communicate in any suitable manner.Additionally, it is appreciated that each of the processor and/or thememory may be composed of different physical pieces of equipment.Accordingly, it is not necessary that the processor be one single pieceof equipment in one location and that the memory be another single pieceof equipment in another location. That is, it is contemplated that theprocessor may be two pieces of equipment in two different physicallocations. The two distinct pieces of equipment may be connected in anysuitable manner. Additionally, the memory may include two or moreportions of memory in two or more physical locations.

As described above, a set of instructions is used in the processing ofthe invention. The set of instructions may be in the form of a programor software. The software may be in the form of system software orapplication software, for example. The software might also be in theform of a collection of separate programs, a program module within alarger program, or a portion of a program module, for example. Thesoftware used might also include modular programming in the form ofobject oriented programming. The software tells the processing machinewhat to do with the data being processed.

Further, it is appreciated that the instructions or set of instructionsused in the implementation and operation of the invention may be in asuitable form such that the processing machine may read theinstructions. For example, the instructions that form a program may bein the form of a suitable programming language, which is converted tomachine language or object code to allow the processor or processors toread the instructions. That is, written lines of programming code orsource code, in a particular programming language, are converted tomachine language using a compiler, assembler or interpreter. The machinelanguage is binary coded machine instructions that are specific to aparticular type of processing machine, i.e., to a particular type ofcomputer, for example. The computer understands the machine language.

Any suitable programming language may be used in accordance with thevarious embodiments of the invention. Illustratively, the programminglanguage used may include assembly language, Ada, APL, Basic, C, C++,COBOL, dBase, Forth, Fortran, Java, Modula-2, Pascal, Prolog, REXX,Visual Basic, and/or JavaScript, for example. Further, it is notnecessary that a single type of instructions or single programminglanguage be utilized in conjunction with the operation of the system andmethod of the invention. Rather, any number of different programminglanguages may be utilized as is necessary or desirable.

Also, the instructions and/or data used in the practice of the inventionmay utilize any compression or encryption technique or algorithm, as maybe desired. An encryption module might be used to encrypt data. Further,files or other data may be decrypted using a suitable decryption module,for example.

In the system and method of the invention, a variety of “userinterfaces” may be utilized to allow a user to interface with theprocessing machine or machines that are used to implement the invention.As used herein, a user interface includes any hardware, software, orcombination of hardware and software used by the processing machine thatallows a user to interact with the processing machine. A user interfacemay be in the form of a dialogue screen for example. A user interfacemay also include any of a mouse, touch screen, keyboard, voice reader,voice recognizer, dialogue screen, menu box, list, checkbox, toggleswitch, a pushbutton, a virtual environment (e.g., Virtual Machine(VM)/cloud), or any other device that allows a user to receiveinformation regarding the operation of the processing machine as itprocesses a set of instructions and/or provide the processing machinewith information. Accordingly, the user interface is any device thatprovides communication between a user and a processing machine. Theinformation provided by the user to the processing machine through theuser interface may be in the form of a command, a selection of data, orsome other input, for example.

As discussed above, a user interface is utilized by the processingmachine that performs a set of instructions such that the processingmachine processes data for a user. The user interface is typically usedby the processing machine for interacting with a user either to conveyinformation or receive information from the user. However, it should beappreciated that in accordance with some embodiments of the system andmethod of the invention, it is not necessary that a human user actuallyinteract with a user interface used by the processing machine of theinvention. Rather, it is contemplated that the user interface of theinvention might interact, i.e., convey and receive information, withanother processing machine, rather than a human user. Accordingly, theother processing machine might be characterized as a user. Further, itis contemplated that a user interface utilized in the system and methodof the invention may interact partially with another processing machineor processing machines, while also interacting partially with a humanuser.

Although the embodiments of the present inventions have been describedherein in the context of a particular implementation in a particularenvironment for a particular purpose, those of ordinary skill in the artwill recognize that its usefulness is not limited thereto and that theembodiments of the present inventions can be beneficially implemented inany number of environments for any number of purposes. Accordingly, theclaims set forth below should be construed in view of the full breadthand spirit of the embodiments of the present inventions as disclosedherein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An automated computer implemented methodfor network analysis for endpoint deployment, wherein the method isexecuted by a programmed computer processor which communicates with auser via a network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving, via auser interface, current device count configuration, current bandwidthutilization data; and planned device count configuration for a sitelocation wherein the current device count configuration comprises acombination of current telepresence room devices, conference roomdevices and desktop devices and wherein the planned device countconfiguration comprises another combination of planned telepresence roomdevices, conference room devices and desktop devices; accessing Qualityof Service allocation data; determining, via a computer processor,whether a Quality of Service analysis based on the Quality of Serviceallocation data meets a first predetermined threshold for the location;if the Quality of Service analysis does not meet the first predeterminedthreshold, calculating a first minimum required bandwidth for meetingthe first predetermined threshold and increasing link capacity to atleast the first minimum required bandwidth or modifying an operationmode; determining, via a computer processor, whether a bandwidthanalysis meets a second predetermined threshold for the location; if thebandwidth analysis does not meet the second predetermined threshold,calculating a second minimum required bandwidth for meeting the secondpredetermined threshold and increasing link capacity to at least thesecond minimum required bandwidth; and providing, via a user interface,analysis results comprising the minimum required capacity for each linkfor a plurality of links at the location, codec operation modes and aproximity of the projected total link utilization to a designated linkutilization threshold level for the deployment.
 2. The method of claim1, further comprising the step of: accessing concurrency factor datawherein the concurrency factor data is used in the Quality of Serviceand bandwidth analyses.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein currentbandwidth utilization data comprises data relating to video, VoIP andother data.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth analysisperforms an analysis based on link inbound bandwidth utilization mean,link inbound bandwidth utilization standard deviation, link outboundbandwidth utilization mean, link outbound bandwidth utilization standarddeviation.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:accessing privileges and priorities associated with a plurality of userswherein the privileges and priorities are considered in one or more of:the Quality of Service analysis and bandwidth analysis.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising the step of: integrating a meetingscheduling tool.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the stepof: providing a warning message when a critical threshold is reached. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis information provided via theuser interface comprises proximity of the projected total linkutilization to a designated link utilization threshold level.
 9. Anautomated computer implemented system for network analysis for endpointdeployment, wherein the system comprises a user input configured toreceive current device count configuration, current bandwidthutilization data; and planned device count configuration for a sitelocation wherein the current device count configuration comprises acombination of current telepresence room devices, conference roomdevices and desktop devices and wherein the planned device countconfiguration comprises another combination of planned telepresence roomdevices, conference room devices and desktop devices; a processorconfigured to access Quality of Service allocation data; a QoS moduleconfigured to determine whether a Quality of Service analysis based onthe Quality of Service allocation data meets a first predeterminedthreshold for the location; if the Quality of Service analysis does notmeet the first predetermined threshold, calculating a first minimumrequired bandwidth for meeting the first predetermined threshold andincreasing link capacity to at least the first minimum requiredbandwidth or modifying an operation mode; a bandwidth analysis moduleconfigured to determine whether a bandwidth analysis meets a secondpredetermined threshold for the location; if the bandwidth analysis doesnot meet the second predetermined threshold, calculating a secondminimum required bandwidth for meeting the second predeterminedthreshold and increasing link capacity to at least the second minimumrequired bandwidth; and a user interface configured to provide analysisresults comprising the minimum required capacity for each link for aplurality of links at the location, codec operation modes and aproximity of the projected total link utilization to a designated linkutilization threshold level for the deployment.
 10. The system of claim9, wherein the processor is further configured to access concurrencyfactor data wherein the concurrency factor data is used in the Qualityof Service and bandwidth analyses.
 11. The system of claim 9, whereincurrent bandwidth utilization data comprises data relating to video,VoIP and other data.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the bandwidthanalysis performs an analysis based on link inbound bandwidthutilization mean, link inbound bandwidth utilization standard deviation,link outbound bandwidth utilization mean, link outbound bandwidthutilization standard deviation.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein theprocessor is further configured to access privileges and prioritiesassociated with a plurality of users wherein the privileges andpriorities are considered in one or more of: the Quality of Serviceanalysis and bandwidth analysis.
 14. The system of claim 9, furthercomprising a meeting scheduling tool.
 15. The system of claim 9, whereinthe user interface is further configured to provide a warning messagewhen a critical threshold is reached.
 16. The system of claim 9, whereinthe analysis information provided via the user interface comprisesproximity of the projected total link utilization to a designated linkutilization threshold level.